Love Replaces All Hate
by Yondaime Namikaze
Summary: Naruto faces many challenges daily in his self-appointed quest to fulfill his promise to Sakura. Naruto is given an opportunity to accomplish his goal. However, some very strange side effects arise, and Naruto becomes faced with a very grave situation.
1. Solution To My Problem?

**For those who've read Captured! (if there are any reading this), remember that new story I talked about. Well, here it is.**

**I must say that I'm really enjoying writing this story, so I hope that you all like reading it as much as I like writing it.**

**Also, just like all of my other Naruto stories, this one occurs post time-skip. However, Orochimaru and Itachi are both still alive. They'll both be essential in this story.**  
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Chapter 1: Solution To My Problem?  
Grade Level: 5.5

Challenge. That was the one word that Naruto Uzumaki could use that would thoroughly describe his whole quest to fulfill a promise he made to Sakura Haruno, one of his two best friends.

Challenge described his mission so well that he could even use multiple forms of the word. Predicate Adjective-Naruto felt challenged by his hardest quest yet. Verb-Naruto challenged death every day, especially when he and his other best friend, Sasuke Uchiha, engaged in life-and-death battles.

However, regardless of how challenging the mission was, Naruto refused to give up, because not upholding to a promise went against his ninja way.

Even though he refused to give up, Naruto had to admit that the never-ending mission was starting to frustrate him. He'd trained intensely with Jiraiya for three years and yet he still wasn't strong enough to defeat Sasuke and bring him back. It always seemed, to Naruto anyway, that every time he got a little stronger, Sasuke would get two times stronger. In some ways, nothing had changed. Sasuke was always, and probably, would always be, stronger than Naruto.

Currently, Naruto was training (what else is new?) with Sakura. They were training alone, because Kakashi-Sensei was out on a mission, at the training ground where they'd held their teamwork exercises. They were having a sparring match (**AN: If you want a visual, I'm imaging it to look like the silhouettes of Naruto sparring against himself and Rock Lee on "Yura Yura"**)

Naruto pulled back, gasping for breath, and prepared for another hit.

Sakura noticed how tired Naruto looked and immediately told him, "Naruto, you should stop and take a break. You look really tired."

"I'm fine," Naruto replied, before he charged.

He never reached Sakura, however, because she grabbed him firmly by the shoulders. "Naruto, I told you to stop. For one thing, you're going to dehydrate. It's hot and you're sweating immensely already. Two, we've been training for almost three hours. No human can train three hours straight without at least one break. Oh, and before you protest, I don't care if you have the demon fox inside you or not. The demon fox won't protect you from dehydration and exhaustion."

"But when I trained with Pervy Sage, I trained for more than three hours without a break and I'm still alive."

"Well, I'm not Jiraiya. Because I'm a medic ninja, I care about the health of my comrades rather than the strength of their stamina. Now, sit down before I make you."

Naruto smiled and shakily took a seat. The air was calm and quiet. When Naruto spoke again, he spoke in a whisper so low that the sound was almost inaudible to Sakura, who was still standing.

"What's that, Naruto?"

Naruto squinting through the sunlight looked up at Sakura and told her, "I said, 'thanks for caring'. You're one of the first real friends that I ever had. There was a time when nobody cared if I lived or died. I'd never felt so alone and I'll probably never ever feel like that again. That time is gone now, but the pain of the memory remains.

"It must be so hard to forget your past," Sakura replied in a soft voice. "It took all of us so long to realize that you really are a hero. If your father hadn't sealed the demon fox's spirit inside your body, there would be no Hidden Leaf Village. All this time, we were all so blind. We should have been praising you, and yet, we all shunned you. I feel so bad because I treated you that way too, just like everybody else."

Naruto laid back, placing his arms behind his head and shut his eyes. "Don't worry so much about it, Sakura. The most important thing is that we're friends now, and I don't want anything to ever change that."

Sakura smiled down at her friend and teammate. Even though Naruto couldn't see the smile, he heard it in her voice when she spoke next. "Me too." In a whisper she finished with "Thank you…Naruto."

These comments earned Sakura a smile from Naruto.

As Naruto relaxed, Sakura took that time to observe the scenery around her. The afternoon was quiet and a soft, warm wind ruffled her short, pink hair.

All was calm and peaceful until she felt a gloved hand touch her left shoulder. She reached for a kunai knife, but the person's other hand grabbed her arm, restricting its movements.

"Remember me, Sakura. It's been a long time," the ANBU ninja spoke, in a taunting voice, that Sakura knew all too well.

How did I let him sneak up on me like that? Either I've gotten too careless or he's gotten too good since we last met. "Sas-" she began, but never finished, because at that moment, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck. She fell to her knees. "Not again!" she whispered as blackness began to creep into her vision. "What do you want?"

"Don't worry. My only business here is with Naruto."

"I swear…if you hurt Naruto, I will."

"I only wish to speak with him about a certain matter."

"If you so much as touch Naruto, I'll…"

"I told you already. I only wish to talk to him, but I don't need you getting in my way, so will you please just faint already?"

"I'll kill you, Sas-" she began, but never finished as the blackness took over, her body falling facedown into the grass.

Another warm wind blew through Naruto's hair. He couldn't believe that he'd allowed himself to fall asleep. He still felt tired, but he refused to waste time.

"Sakura, I've rested up. Can we continue training now?" Naruto asked, without opening his eyes.

The quiet wind rustling through the leaves of the trees was the only sound that answered Naruto.

"Did you hear me, Sakura?" Naruto asked as he opened his eyes.

As his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight, Naruto took in his surroundings, noticing the ANBU ninja and Sakura.

A look of anger crossed Naruto's face. He pulled out a kunai knife and quickly stood up. "What did you do to Sakura?"

"Lower your knife, Naruto. I did not come to fight. Sakura is fine. I knocked her out because this information I am about to give you is for your ears only."

Naruto felt a little skeptical, but he released his kunai knife. With a slightly unsure look on his face. Naruto replied, "Okay, I guess I'll bite, but I still don't see why Sakura can't hear this information too."

The ANBU pulled out a small glass bottle filled with a pink liquid. "The information I bring concerns this. Within this bottle, you'll find the solution to your problem. What is it you always say, again? Oh right. Believe It!"

With that, the ANBU thrust the bottle into Naruto's hands. "All of the instructions that you will need are on the bottle. All you have to do is make sure that Sasuke Uchiha drinks the whole bottle, every drop. Now, I must be going." Before Naruto could say another world, the ANBU disappeared in a rush of unnatural wind.

Behind a nearby tree, another mysterious figure stood. As his long hair blew in the wind, he smirked. "Very good. This will be fun indeed."  
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**At one time, this was only an excerpt of the first chapter, but I added a whole bunch of extra scenes and then the chapter became too long, in my opinion, to be included with the rest of what would have been chapter one.**

**Also, when I first started handwriting this, I didn't know how I wanted to open the story. I think that I actually liked this version. (Yes, someone actually paid attention in English class, and it wasn't Naruto.)**

**Next Chapter will get interesting. Next chapter preview:**

**Naruto sat in the grass, staring at the bottle that the ANBU had given to him. He turned over the bottle and read the instructions printed on it.**

**One set of kanji at the bottom confused Naruto.**

**"Well, now, Naruto. This is an interesting way to welcome me back."**

**"How do I really know that it's you, ****Sensei****?"**

**-What does this mysterious set of kanji say? Why does it confuse Naruto? Find out in Chapter 2: [unnamed as of yet]-**


	2. What Does It Mean, Sakura?

**I'm really excited for when this story begins to pick up. When I was handwriting the end of this chapter, I kept coming up with great plots and twists for this story.**

**By the way, has anyone read manga chapter 440 (A Conversation with the 4th!) yet? Man that was epic!**  
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Chapter 2: What Does It Mean, Sakura?  
Grade Level: 5

Naruto sat in the grass, staring at the bottle that the ANBU had given him. He turned over the bottle and read the instructions printed on it. "Allow affected persons to drink all contents. Side effects: burning feeling, drowsiness, fainting, extreme change in character or actions. Consult your local medic ninja before use if the affected persons is pregnant, nursing, or plans to become pregnant…"

"…"

"Wait, a minute, why am I still reading this? Sasuke's not pregnant, well, at least I hope not, and I'm sure that he's not planning to become pregnant."

One set of kanji at the bottom confused Naruto. He read it out loud. "Wonder what that means."

He looked over beside himself to where Sakura still lay unconscious. "Well, I guess I can't find out until after Sakura wakes up. I can't just leave her here."

The sound of shifting grass hit Naruto's ears, and his reflexes immediately geared into high alert.

He grabbed the kunai knife and pulled back to throw it…just as Kakashi Hatake stepped into view.

"Well now, Naruto. This is an interesting way to welcome me back."

Naruto sighed. **_It's just Kakashi-sensei. Wait a minute. Any skilled ninja can copy another_**. Naruto tightened his grip on the kunai. "How do I really know that it's you, Sensei?" Naruto asked, skeptical.

Kakashi's one uncovered eye reflected shock. Naruto had never questioned him like this before. **_Oh, well. I guess that I'll have to prove that it's really me_**.

The Jonin reached pulled out one of his favorite books from his pouch. "Look what I got while I was on my mission. The newest book in the 'Make Out' Series."

"C'mon, Sensei, every ninja studies their subject and imitates them right down to even their eye color."

At this, Kakashi sighed. **_I never thought that Naruto would ever get to this point, where he knows all the ninja tricks._** "Okay, Naruto, you got me." He quickly lifted his hitai-ite to reveal his Sharingan eye. The, he skillfully performed a set of three handsigns, and activated a ninja attack that Naruto quickly recognized.

"Chidori, huh?"

"That's right. Chidori: A Thousand Birds-a ninja move that can only be wielded correctly by a true Sharingan user (**AN: Don't know if that's true or not, but I thought that I saw that somewhere in the manga**.)," Kakashi explained, knowing inwardly that he had won.

Naruto smiled a bright smiled, understanding. "There are only three true Sharingan users left, Sasuke, his brother, Itachi…"

Kakashi nodded, "…and Kakashi Hatake, Konohagakure's copy ninja, me. That's right." (**AN: This is before they knew about Tobi/Madara**)

Naruto jumped up, put away his kunai, and properly greeted his teacher with a handshake. "Welcome back, Sensei. How was your mission?"

The older ninja chuckled slightly. "Really now, how am I supposed to answer that? Anyway, training again, with Sakura this time?"

"Yeah, sort of." Naruto sat down on his knees and gently pulled Sakura over so that her head rested on his knees.

Kakashi saw this. "What, did you overdo it this time, Naruto?"

"I didn't do this, Kakashi-sensei! You see, Sakura told me to take a break, actually, she made me. Anyway, so I did, take a break, I mean, but I accidently fell asleep. When I woke up, there was this ANBU there and Sakura was already out. The ANBU said that he knocked her out, because he wanted to tell me something. That's why I was suspicious of you, Sensei."

"I see," Kakashi answered, understanding. He put his right hand under his black-masked chin, forming his thinking position, as he thought about and processed everything that Naruto had just told him. After a minute, the older ninja replied, "No matter how many times I think about it, your story doesn't seem logical…"

Naruto interrupted. "I'm telling the truth, I swear. I'd never lie about something like that."

A smile graced Kakashi's concealed lips. **_Still as rambunctious as ever_**. "I never said that you were lying. In fact, I believe every word you said. However, common logic doesn't support it. I was an ANBU once. I know that ANBU aren't supposed to knock their opponent out if they can help it. If one gets knocked out forcefully too many times it could be bad. (**AN: I don't know if any of that stuff about knocking a person out or ANBU's orders is true. Don't flame me because of that.**) Anyway, what did the ANBU want?"

Naruto halted. He was at a slight loss for what to do. He trusted Kakashi-sensei, but he was unsure of what his teacher's plan of action would be. Naruto hadn't yet decided if he would use the mysterious potion on Sasuke, but he knew that if he told his sensei about it, Kakashi would probably take it away to test it. Hastily, he decided to lie. "He just said that they might've found a new possible location for Sasuke. I would've gone to check it out, if I had trained harder and felt more confident."

Kakashi narrowed his eye. "You're lying," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

**_H-How did he know?_** Naruto panicked. **_I thought that sounded convincing enough._** "No I'm not!"

With a laugh, Kakashi replied, "I know that, Naruto. I was just kidding. You are a good, smart, strong, young man, and I would probably even trust you with my life."

"R-Really?" Naruto squeaked out, earning himself a question look from Kakashi. "Puberty," he mouthed out in response.

Luckily, Kakashi stopped there. "Alright. Do you want me to wait here with you until Sakura wakes up?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, I can handle things here."

Once Kakashi left, Naruto looked down at the young woman who he'd had a crush on since academy. They'd both matured a great deal since then.

Naruto brushed Sakura's pink bangs out of her face. He smiled at the softness of her hair and the peacefulness on her face.

Suddenly, he heard a groan and felt Sakura stir. She opened her green eyes and looked up at Naruto.

"Naruto, you're okay!" she said first.

Confusion crept onto Naruto's face. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Sakura's frustration appeared on her face as she replied. "I-I don't remember. The last thing I remember was blackness and this strange feeling that you were going to die."

Naruto smiled. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'm not going anywhere, and I especially don't plan on dying anytime soon." He gently helped Sakura into a sitting position. "Kakashi-sensei returned from his mission. He stopped by while you were unconscious." Naruto paused for a minute as he remembered the pink potion. "Are you feeling better? I need your help with something."

"I have a headache," Sakura replied.

Naruto's smile dropped into a frown. "Ok. I'll just ask you about it some other time."

"No, no, don't worry about me. I'm not weak anymore. I can help you."

"Okay, but only if you're sure." Getting no protest from Sakura, Naruto pulled the bottle of pink liquid from one of his pockets. When did he put that in there? Oh well. "Okay, so that ANBU…" Naruto stopped briefly, seeing Sakura's confused expression. "Oh, you must not remember that. Anyway, this ANBU came to us while we were training…"

Naruto continued, but Sakura stopped listening because her memory returned. She remembered the ANBU. She'd been so sure that he'd come to kill Naruto, but that didn't appear to have been the case.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto's voice broke her from her thoughts.

"Gomen, Naruto."

Naruto placed his hand on Sakura's forehead. "Are you sure that you're okay? You don't usually space out like that."

Gently, Sakura removed Naruto's hand from her forehead. "Don't worry, I'm fine. So, what's this about that bottle?"

"That's what I wasn't asking you about. I'm hoping that, because you're a medic ninja, you can help me. I was reading the back of the bottle and there's this random line of kanji that I didn't understand." He gave the bottle to Sakura and showed her the line that he'd referenced.

"Love replaces all hate," Sakura read. "That sounds kind of ominous. You were told to make Sasuke drink this?"

Naruto nodded. "That's right. The ANBU told me that 'within this bottle I'll find the answer to my problem'."

"I don't know, Naruto. This seems really suspicious. Maybe I should show the liquid to Tsunade-sensei and see if she…"

"No!" Naruto interrupted. "I haven't decided if I want to use it yet. It is the best solution right now. I don't want anybody taking it away. That's why I didn't tell Kakashi-sensei about it." Naruto knew that later he'd regret yelling at Sakura, but right now he didn't care. "Tomorrow, I'm leaving to find Sasuke. Don't tell Kakashi-sensei or anyone, for that matter."

Naruto started to head off for his house, but Sakura stopped him. "No way! You are not going alone! Sasuke wouldn't hesitate to kill you. I'm going with you to back you up if a fight breaks out."

A sigh escaped Naruto's lips. He knew that Sakura was dead serious about going and she would beat him to a pulp before she would change her mind. "Ok, meet me at the gates really early tomorrow, before the sun comes up, 5:00 sounds good. We need to set off early before someone can stop us.

"Alright, Naruto, I'll see you then."

That said, Naruto and Sakura headed home in opposite directions. Each of them held their heads and hopes high. Maybe tomorrow they'd finally be able to bring Sasuke, their friend and fellow teammate, back home to Konoha for good.  
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**Now, time for an advertisement.**

**Please read my Naruto story Left Behind: The Ninja 1-The Vanishings. I think that it's going to be a great series and I worked hard on it. It's kind of slow moving right now, but it will pick up, I promise, so at least give it a glance.**


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